Disposable medical devices having piercing elements for administering a medication or withdrawing a fluid, such as hypodermic needles, blood collecting needles, fluid handling needles and assemblies thereof, require safe and convenient handling. The piercing elements include, for example, pointed needle cannula or blunt ended cannula.
The above-described medical devices often include a pair of flexible plastic wings mounted to or near the needle hub. The wings can be folded into face-to-face engagement with one another, and hence define a convenient handle for gripping and manipulating the needle cannula. The wings also can be rotated away from one another and can be taped into face-to-face contact with the skin of the patient.
Accidental sticks with a needle cannula can be painful and can transmit disease. As a result, most needle assemblies are employed with rigid means for enclosing the needle cannula both prior to use and after use. Protection prior to use typically is achieved by a rigid plastic tube that has a proximal end frictionally mounted to the needle hub and a distal end that extends beyond the distal end of the needle cannula. The plastic tube is removed and discarded immediately prior to use of the needle cannula. Protection after use of the needle cannula typically is achieved by a shield that can be moved relative to the needle cannula from a first position where the needle is exposed to a second position where the needle cannula is safely within the shield. Shields of this type typically include means for releasably holding the shield in its first position and for holding the shield more securely in its second position. The retention of the shield in its second position should prevent any accidental re-exposure of the used needle cannula and preferably should prevent or substantially complicate an intentional attempt to reuse the needle cannula.
A demand exists for a medical device that provides secure shielding and an easy operation.